Sawtooth Complex Fire

The Sawtooth Complex fire was a group of wildfires in San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California in the summer of 2006. The Complex was made up of the Sawtooth, Waters, and Ridge fires, and burnt in chaparral two miles (3.2 km) east of Yucca Valley.[1]

Sawtooth Complex Fire
CDF Grumman/Marsh S-2F3AT airtanker working the Sawtooth Complex fire. U.S. Forest Service photo.
Location	Yucca Valley, California
Statistics[1]
Cost	$16.8 million
Date(s)	July 9, 2006 — July 19, 2006
Burned area	61,700 acres (250 km^2)
Cause	Lightning
Buildings destroyed	50 residences 8 mobile homes 171 outbuildings 220+ vehicles
Deaths	1 Civilian
Non-fatal injuries	17

The Sawtooth Complex fire was started by lightning on July 9, 2006 at 8:30 am PDT. The fire burned 61,700 acres (250 km²) and destroyed 50 homes, 8 mobile homes, 13 garages, 171 outbuildings, 191 cars and pick up trucks, 3 R.V.s, 27 trailers, 2 railcars, 9 tractors. 12 residences were damaged. There were 17 minor injuries and 1 civilian fatality.

Residents of Pioneertown, Skyline Ranch, Pipes Canyon, Gamma Gulch, northern Morongo Valley, Burns Canyon and Rimrock were placed under mandatory evacuations.[1]

Pioneertown is the site of several historic structures dating back to 1940s Hollywood film production. While some buildings in Pioneertown were destroyed, the historic structures were spared.[2]

At 5:00 pm PDT on July 14, the Sawtooth Complex fire merged with the Millard Complex fire.

The fire was 100% contained on July 18.

References

1. "Sawtooth Complex Incident Information". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2006.
2. "Fire crews battle desert winds, heat". CNN. July 12, 2006. Archived from the original on July 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-14.